Starter for engines.



V. BENDIX.

STARTER FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION 111150 APR.26, 1915.

1 e1en1ed Feb. 22, 1916.

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` Patented Feb. 22, l1916.

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VINCENT BENDIX, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STARTER FOR ENGINES.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VINCENT BENDIX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starters for Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a starter for an engine such as a gas engine, and the object thereof is to provide a simple, efficient and reliable device of this character operated by a prime mover of any kind, such for instance as an electric motor.

My starter is of that type exemplified by the devices illustrated in my Patent No. 1,125,935 issued to me on January 26, 1915. This type of starter is provided with a screw shaft or the like operated by the prime mover either directly from the armature shaft or indirectly by gearing therewith and having mounted thereon a driving member in the form of a pinion adapted to engage or mesh with some member of the engine, such as the fly wheel, for rotating its crank Shaft or the like.

The particular object of this invention is to improve the means and manner of the attachment or the anchoring of the spring (which forms the resilient driving connection for the screw shaft) to the driving shaft and the screw shaft. I accomplish this result by making a portion of the screw2 shaft adjacent one end of the spring of eccentric form and likewise make eccentric a portion of the spring vbarrel connected to the driving shaft so that on the first tighteningof the spring the ends thereof will be brought into frictional contact with such eccentric portions and thereby relieve the eyesat the. end of the spring and the anchoring bolts or studs of much ofthe strain incident to the winding up of the spring in the actual operation of the mechanism.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of my mechanism embodying the invention showing a portion of `a Hy wheelof a gas engine with which the pinion of my mechanisym or transmission coperates; Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional elevation of my mechanism or transmission; Figs. 3 and 4: cross sections on` the section line 'A-A, Fig. 3

r looking in the direction of the arrows 3 3,

Fig. 4 looking` in the direction of the arrows i-L Fig. 5 a view similarI to Fig. 3 but showing the outermost coil wound Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

against the barrel, and Fig. 6 a top plan vention as shown in the drawings, the transmission comprises a driving shaft 1 which 1s operatively connected to the prime mover such as an electric motor (not shown.) The screw shaft 2 is in the form of a sleeve having external screw threads intermediate its length'and mounted upon the driving shaft and adapted nto rotate therewith and also to have a rotational movement with respect thereto as hereinafter explained.

A pinion 3 is screw-threaded upon the screw shaft and adapted to mesh with the circular rack portion 4a of the fly wheel 4 of the engine,l though it will be understood that the pinion may be arranged to drive any other portion of the engine or parts operated thereby in order to accomplish the same result, that is the starting of the engine.

The yielding driving' connection which is provided between the driving shaft 1 and the screw shaft 2 comprisesa' coiled spring 5 which is anchored at one end to the driving shaft and at the othernend to the screw shaft.

lthe medium of a Spring barrel 6 which is arranged concentric of the driving shaft and held in place at the outer end thereof by means of the pin or bolt 7 which bolt also forms the 'means for anchoring the outer` end of the spring 5. The other end of the i spring is anchored to a stud or bolt 8 screwing into the outer end of the screw shaft. The screw shaft and spring barrel are arranged in alinement but not in contact ,at their adjacent ends inasmuch as a space 9 is left thereat in order that the screw 'shaft may have a slight movement Ilongitudinally against the tension of the spring for the purposes described in my patent aforesaid.

The cylindrical portion at the outer end of the screw shaft is formed eccentric of the axis thereof, thev fat portion being at the upper side in Fig. l as shown at 10 adjacent the bolt or stud 8. vIn like manner the outer end of the spring barrel is made eccentric, thereby providing a fat portion l1 adjacent the spring end of its anchoring bolt 7. As the central coils of the spring are free of the barrel and extreme end of the screw shaft, it follows that the outermost coils of the spring will bear firmly and with considerable friction upon said eccentric or fat portions described upon the first turning or twisting movements tending to tighten and wrap the spring. This results in utilizing these outermost coils to assistin the anchoring` or holding of the ends thereof and thereby relieving the eyes of the springs and the anchoring bolts or studs of a considerable strain. With respect to the eccentric portion on the screw shaft, another advantage is obtained in that an additional thickness of metal is provided for the screw stud 8 which cannot be inserted farther than the inner wall of the screw shaft owing to the presence of the driving shaft therewithin. Moreover, by So raising the coils beyond the bodv of the barrel, the danger of a coil dropping into the space 9 during the twisting of the spring is avoided.

While I have for convenience described my invention in connection with a certain type of starter or transmission characterized by a hollow screw shaft and a pinion initially movable outwardly, it will be understood that the invention, in its broader aspeet, is not limited thereto but is applicable to other types of transmission including those in which the screw shaft is solid as r shown in my Patent No. 1,134,975, issued on April 6, 1915, and the pinion initially movable inwardly, as shown in my patent aforesaid, it being understood that my invention is applicable to any type employing acoiled spring as the yielding driving connection,

T he starter or transmission as a marketable product comprises all the parts shown with the exception of the shaft 1 which goes with the motor, and of 'rourse with the exception of the fly wheel of the engine. ln such product, therefore, the driving member may be considered such part of the barrel or sleeve 6 or equivalent construction provided with the eccentric as to accomplish the desired result, the spring barrel portion proper not being essential.

I claim:

1. An engine starter comprising a driving member, a rotatable member driven thereby, a driving device mounted to travel longitudinally on said rotatable member and adapted to engage a part of the engine to be' started, and a yielding driving connection between said two members comprising a members respectively, one of said membershaving a portion eccentric to its axis of rotation with its fat side adjacent the point of' anchorage of the spring.

3. An engine starter comprising a driving member, a rotatable member driven thereby,

va driving device mounted to travel longitudinally on said rotatable member and adapted to engage a part ofthe engine to be started, and a yielding driving connection between said two members comprising a spring having its ends anchored to said members respectively, which 'have portions eccentric to their axis of rotation with the fat side adjacentthe points of anchorage of the spring.

4. An engine starter comprising a driving member, a rotatable member driven thereby, a driving device mounted to travel longitudinally on said rotatable member and adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started, a yielding driving connection between said members comprising a coiled spring, bolts on said members respectively to which the ends of the spring are anchored, and means adjacent the bolts for supporting the outermost coils of the spring, the other coils being unsupported.

5. An enginestarter comprising a driving member extended to form a barrel, a rotatable member driven thereby, a idriving device mounted to travel longitudinally on said rotatable member and adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started, and a yielding driving connection between said members comprising a coiled spring around the barrel and anchored at its ends to said mem- -bers respectively, said members having eccentric portions whose fat sides are adjacent the points of anchorage of the ends of thel threaded shaft vdriven thereby, a driving de-n Limena vice screw threaded upon the screw shaft, and a yielding driving connection between the two shafts, consisting of a coiled spring arranged around the barrel and having its ends anchored to the sleeve and to the screw shaft respectively, said4 screw shaft and sleeve having eccentric portions whose fat sides are at the points of anchorage of the spring.

8. An engine starter comprising a sleeve extended to form a barrel, a screw threaded shaft driven thereby, a driving device screw threaded upon the screw shaft, and a yielding driving connection between the two shafts, consisting of a coiled spring arranged around the barrel, and bolts on the sleeve and screw shaft, to which bolts the ends of the spring are anchored,said screw shaft and barrel having eccentric portions Whose VINCENT BENDlX.

Witnesses:

S. E. HIBBEN, ROBERT DOBBERMAN. 

